Some sugar imports may land before October 15: NFCSF

Some of the sugar shipments to India are likely to reach domestic shores before October 15, but the exact quantity remains difficult to estimate at this stage, a cooperative sugar mills body NFCSF chief said, even as the Centre’s crackdown on hoarding has begun to cool prices.

Brazil is the only realistic source of imports for now, with Thailand, the other traditional supplier, ruled out as it is grappling with its own shortfall, National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) President Prakash Naiknavare said on Sunday. Transit time from Brazil to Indian ports typically takes 40-45 days, and cargo needs additional time to move from port to mill once it lands, he noted. “So, it is difficult to put a number on how much can arrive before October 15th, but the possibility of some shipments arriving by then is good,” Naiknavare said.